Ritually speaking . . .
“The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.”
This is one of the many quotes from The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel that each week enhances the cover of our Shabbat Program. It is one outcome of our ritual committee’s 5 month dialogue about Shabbat. As a liberal, non-denominational congregation, we grappled with the question: How can we, within our synagogue, maintain the spirit and sanctity of Shabbat, this holiest day of the Jewish calendar? Our focus was “to define ourselves by what we do, rather than what we don’t do.” The outcome was the Board of Trustees adopting the Ritual Committee’s recommendations for the following Shabbat Observance Guidelines at Temple Beth Rishon:
1. From the onset of Shabbat (candle lighting) at Friday night services until the completion of our Saturday observance, that includes the Kiddush/extended Kiddush/Sabbath Luncheon, congregants not set up for any non-Shabbat events.
2. Alternate methods of money collection be explored rather than handling and exchanging money in public view during the designated Shabbat time as noted above.
3. No communications pertaining to synagogue business, in the form of emails or phone conversations, take place during Shabbat.
4. Vendors and contractors be required to park and load through the back synagogue entrance during Shabbat.
Our synagogue is committed to the tenets of Judaism at the core of our identity as a Jewish community. Observance of Shabbat is one of those core tenets; it is our 4th Commandment – Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. As we highlight and celebrate Shabbat at Temple Beth Rishon, we hope each of you will find personal ways to embrace this most sacred of Jewish holidays.
I would like to thank the Ritual Committee, Rabbi Emert and Cantor Mamber for their diligence in addressing this issue and the Board of Trustees for accepting our recommendations.
Sharon Weiss, VP of Religion (1/2011)
Click here for a detailed understanding of our process and goals.
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